Hyundai Venue Problems

You’re on the right track with this approach. Fundamentally, you need to give the dealer (and manufacturer) the opportunity to put things right. That means giving the dealer access to the vehicle, even though that’s obviously inconvenient for you. A switched on dealership will, where possible, offer you a replacement vehicle while yours is being worked on, too.

Only when the manufacturer and dealer have told you there’s nothing that they can do should you approach the ACCC or other statutory body with your request for a refund or a new vehicle to replace the one that can’t be fixed. While ever the dealer is making an attempt to fix things, it’s wise to give them the access to do so.

For what it’s worth, the problem is likely to be something to do with the car’s body computer which is playing up and not allowing the central locking to work, while also allowing the battery to drain. What looks like a faulty battery can often be traced back to a body computer problem, particularly when the central locking is involved.

Boy, the world is your oyster, Elizabeth. There are literally dozens of options when it comes to a compact SUV. If you’re otherwise happy with the Hyundai, then maybe look at the Hyundai Kona. It’s available as a turbo all-wheel-drive or as a non-turbo front-drive car (not to mention the Kona Electric, an all-electric version) and will come with Hyundai’s great factory warranty and reliability that you’ve already experienced with the Tucson. The other option would the equivalent from Hyundai’s sister company, Kia. The Kia Sportage an also be had as a turbo-diesel, although for normal suburban driving, a petrol is probably your best bet.

Then, you have all the various offerings from the Japanese makers as well as left-field entrants from MG, Fiat, Mini and more. But you need to be careful, because there isn’t always a whole lot of difference between the width of a compact SUV and a mid-sizer. Sure, there’s generally more space inside the bigger car, but it’s often the result of extra length and height rather than width. For instance, your Tucson (assuming it’s the current model) has a width of 1850mm while the Kona is just 50mm (about two inches) narrower. That may not be enough of a difference and you may need to go down two sizes to, say, a Hyundai Venue which is smaller and narrower again with a width of 1770mm.

ZS pros include cheap pricing, an easy driving experience and a comparatively spacious interior compared to other direct rivals like a Mazda CX-3. The dash is pleasant, there is a decent amount of equipment and the controls are all simple to use. It should also be fairly inexpensive to run and service, though earlier ZSs like yours require six-monthly rather than 12-monthly service intervals.

There are two engine options - a 1.5-litre four-cylinder model with a four-speed auto on the base Excite, or a 1.0-litre turbo three-cylinder version on higher-specification Excite Plus and Essence grades with a six-speed auto. Note that the latter powertrain is more expensive to service.

Plus, there's still a fair chunk of the manufacturer's warranty left, which is seven years, while capped-price servicing is also offered.

But the ZS does not offer AEB Autonomous Emergency Braking, so only rates a four-star ANCAP crash-test rating.

Additionally, the ZS's suspension is on the firm side in terms of dealing with road bumps, which might upset some occupants, yet there is not much of the 'fun factor' in regards to steering and handling finesse that rivals like the CX-3, Suzuki Vitara, Honda HR-V, Hyundai Venue, Holden Trax, Ford EcoSport and Hyundai Kona offer in spades.

We've also heard complaints about the interior's perceived quality being sub-par, cabin storage isn't generous and Android Auto isn't supported (though Apple CarPlay is).

Finally, the ZS' resale value trails all of the aforementioned competitors by a significant margin, meaning it's on track to be worth less when the time comes to on-sell it.